Knitting



June 7, 1932. E. o. NEBEL 1,862,416

KNITTING y Filed June 5. 195o 5 sheets-sheet 1 June 7, 1932. E Q NEBEL t 1,862,416

KNITTING Filed June 5, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 7, 1932. E. o. NEBEL KNITTING Filed June 5. 1950 5 sheets-shea s June 7, 1932. E, Q NEBEL. 1,862,416

IIIIII NG f yf :.1111mnmmn mmm l lllllllllllllll mlm .lune 7, 1932. E. Q NEBEL 1,862,416

IIIIII NG Filed June 5. 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented June 7, 1932 PATENT OFFICE ERNST OSCAR NEBEL, F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA KNITTING Application filed .Tune 5, 1930. Serial No. 459,340.

This invention relates to the manufacture of full fashioned hosiery, the primary objectr of the invention being to improve the construction thereof insofar as the narrowing Bof the fabric is concerned. The invention further relates to mechanism by which my improved method of manufacture is effected.

In the manufacture of full fashioned stockings it is customary in order to give shape to the leg portion of the stocking to lift periodically a plurality of the stitches adjacent the opposite edges of the stocking blank from the needles on which these stitches have been formed and to shog the transfer points inwardly with the lifted stitches thereon a distance equal to two needles whereupon the transfer points are lowered and the stitches carried thereby are transferred on to the needles aligned therewith. The purpose of this operation is to provide at all times a selvage edge on the oppositely disposed sides of the blank in order to prevent raveling of the fabric along its edges throughout the operations subsequent to the knitting of the stocking blank.

The transfer of stitches a distance equal to two needles as above noted has disadvantages which are well known in the art, among them being the formation of large conspicuous openings known in the art as narrowing marks which extend parallel to the seam at the back of the stocking.

Another undesirable feature attending the transfer and consequent stretching of a stitch to the extent of two needles is that at times the transfer will not be accurate, due to the misalignment of the transfer points and the needles, and for other causes. One or more of the transferred stitches, therefore, will not be properly positioned on the needles' of the machine, but due to the characteristics of the yarn such improperly transferred stitches frequently do not become apparent until the blank has been finished, seamed and dyed,

whereupon these stitches will give way under the tension created by boarding the stocking and will start what are commonly known in the art as runners or drop stitches. Defects of this kind if not of extreme proportions D0 may be mended and the product sold as sec onds, but it frequently occurs that the defect is so great that the stocking becomes a total loss.

The objects of my invention are to reduce the size of the narrowing marks to the point where they become practically nil, and in so doing to reduce the extent of stretching the stitches in the transfer operation, thereby reducing to a minimum the possibilities of making drop stitches which would cause runners in the stocking when placed on the form after dyeing. l

In carrying out my improved process, I transfer the stitches to the extent of but one needle as compared with the two needles in the methods now used. Thenarrowing of a stocking blank one needle at a time is practically impossible under ordinary conditions with the equipment now in use, due to the arrangement of theneedles, sinkers and dividers, etc., and while, under my` improved method, I transfer the stitches adjacent the side edges of the fabric to the extent of but one needle I accomplish a narrowing of the fabric to the extent of two needles each time, as will be fully disclosed hereinafter, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, of which Fig. 1 is an end elevation of sufficient of a full fashioned hosiery knitting machine to illustrate my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken on the line .Gf-2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the narrowing mechanism at one end of the machine, showing certain changes and additions provided for carrying out my invention;

Figs. 4 to 8 inclusive illustrate various relative positions assumed by certain parts ofthe mechanism of a knitting machine, in carrying out the process by which I produce my improved stocking;

Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional elevation taken through a full fashioned knitting machine for the purpose of showing the relation between the needles and the narrowing points thereof;

Fig. 10 shows diagrammatically in front elevation the relation between the needles and narrowing points of a full fashioned knitting machine;

Fig. 11 diagrainmatically illustrates a stocking made in accordance with the principles of my invention, and

Figs. 12 to 15 inclusive diagranunatically illustrate various steps in the knitting of the stocking blank.

In the drawings, the frame of the full fashioned knitting machine is illustrated at 1. The needles of the machine are illustrated at 2, being carried by the needle head or bar 3. The narrowing points are illustrated at 4 and 5 respectively, being carried by the carrying bar 6 and 7 respectively. The narrowing nuts 8 and 9 for controlling the narrowing bars 6 and 7 are mounted respectively on the right and left hand threaded portions 10 and 11 of the narrowing screw 12. The thread guides 15 are carried in the usual manner on the thread carrier bars 16 which cooperate in the usual manner with the usual stops 17 supported in the carriage 18 which is mounted on the usual left hand screw 19, whereby the stops are periodically moved inward during the narrowing operations.

On the narrowing screw 12 is the usual ratchet wheel 2O having teeth 21 spaced in such a manner that upon rotation of the wheel 2O to the extent of one tooth, the narrowing nuts 8 and 9 and consequently the narrowing points 4 and 5 will be moved inwardly toward each other to the extent of one needle. The narrowing screw 19 which controls the thread carriers 16 is provided with the usual ratchet wheel 22 having teeth 2,3 which are spaced apart in such a manner that racking of the wheel one tooth will cause a movement of the nut or carriage 18 a distance corresponding to the spacing of two needles in the machine.

Loosely mounted on the screw 12 is an arm 25, on the outer end of which is pivotally mounted a pa ivl 26 which is adapted to cooperate with the teeth 21 of the ratchet wheel 20.

Loosely mounted on the screw 19 is an arm or lever 27, on the outer end of which is pivotally mounted a pawl 28 which is adapted to co-operate with Athe teeth 23 of the ratchet wheel 22.

Under ordinary circumstances the pawls 26 and 28 are connected by a link so that when one of the pawls is thrown out of action the other one will be correspondingly thrown out of action. In carrying out my improved method, this link is eliminated so that the pawls 26 and 28 may be operated independently of each other for reasons hereinafter set forth.

Pivotally connected to the levers 25 and 27 are arms 29 and 30 respectively, these arms joining with a single arm 31 which is pivotally connected at 32 to a lever 33 which in turn is pivoted at 34 to the frame 1 of the tion, the hub 37 of the arm 31 bearing against 4 the stop 35.

On the arm 33 is a cam roller 38 which is v adapted to be engaged by a cam 39 on the main cam shaft 40 of the knitting machine. Under ordinary circumstances the cani 39 engages the cam roller 38 raising the lever 33 and thereby through the Y-shaped arm 29, 30, 31 the levers 25 and 27 are turned about the screws 12 and 19 respectively. The pawls 26 and 28 which are respectively in engagement with the teeth 21 and 23 of the ratchet wheels 20 and 22 effect rotation of the screws 12 and 19 a distance equal to the spacing of one tooth on the ratchet wheel 22 which is equal to the spacing of two teeth on the ratchet wheel 20. ln this manner the narrowing points 4 and 5 are moved inwardly to the extent of two needles and the thread guide 15 is moved a corresponding extent.

Under the principles of my invention l hold the pawl 26 out of engagement with the teeth 21 of the ratchet wheel 2O during the first part of the movement just described, permitting the pawl 26 to ride over the one tooth of the ratchet wheel 20 and engage the next tooth on the last part of the upward movement of the arm 31 so that while the screw 19 is being turned to the extent of two needles the screw 12 is being turned only to the extent of one needle, consequently the thread guide 15 moves in to the extent of two needles while the narrowing points 4 and 5 move in to the extent of but one needle.

Prior to the racking of the said screws 12 and 19 in the manner noted, the narrowing points 4 and 5 have been lowered to pick up stitches carried by the needles aligned therewith, and which are disposed along and adjacent to the oppositely disposed side edges of the blank being knit. The narrowing points with the stitches thereon are then raised to a peint above the needles whereupon the racking of the screws 12 and 19 takes place and the narrowing bars 6 and 7 with the narrowing points 4 and 5 thereon are shogged inwardly toward each other to the extent of one needle by the said rack ing of 'the screw 12. After the shogging of the narrowingbars 6 and 7, the points 4 and 5 are lowered and the stitches carried thereby transferred back on to the needles 2 of the machine which are aligned therewith. rlhe narrowing pointsthen move upwardly to an inoperative position until required for the next narrowing operation.

The dipping of the narrowing points 4 and 5 is effected in the usual manner, the bars 6` and 7 being slidably mounted in supports 41 carried by a shaft 42 which is rotatably mounted in arms 43 pivoted at 44 to the frame of the machine. The upper end of a link is attached to the narrowing head thus described, the lower end of saidlink being pivotally connected to an arm 46 which is pivotally mounted at 47 on the frame 1 and is provided with a cam roller 48 which rides the dipping cam 50 which is secured to the main cam shaft 40 of the machine, this being the usual construction and operation of this portion of an ordinary full fashioned knitting machine. y

In carrying out the principles of my invention, I provide the pawl 26 with an arm 55 in which is threaded a screw 56, the one end of the screw projectingr below the arm is adapted to engage an abutment 57 which, in the present instance as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, consists of a plate or arm rigidly secured to an immovable part of the framework of the machine so that when the lever 33 is in its lowermost position, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the pawl 26 is held out of engagement with the teeth 21 of the ratchet wheel 20 as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4, a spring 58 being provided to tend to move the pawl 26 in engagement with the ratchet wheel 20 at all times.

In carrying out my improved process when it is desired to narrow the fabric, the cam shaft 40 is shogged in the usual manner, causing the circular wheel 51 to slide from under the cam roller 48 bringing the high portion 52 of the dipping cam 50 into position under the cam roller 48. Rotation of the cam shaft 40 in the direction ofthe arrow shown in Fig. 9 causes the low part 53 of the cam 50 to ride under the cam roller 48 whereby the narrowing points 4 and 5 are lowered into contact with the needles 2 aligned therewith as diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 12. The stitches are then picked off the needles `2 by the transfer points 4, as shown in Fig.

12. The intermediate portion 54 of the cam 50 is then brought under the cam roller 48, which raises the narrowing points 4 with the stitches m thereon. At the same time the cam 39 has engaged the cam roller 38 on the lever 33 raising the arm 29, 30, 31, and swinging the levers 25 and 27 around the screws 12 and 19 respectively. During the first part of this movement the ratchet wheel 22 is ro'- tated in the usual manner while the ratchet wheel 20 remains idle, the point of the pawl 26 riding past the tooth 21a of the ratchet wheel 20, as shown in Fig. 4. Continued upward movement of the lever 33 causes the pawl 26 to engage the next tooth 217) of the ratchet wheel 20 in the manner illustrated in Fig. 5, the screw 56 of the pawl 26 sliding ment with the teeth of the ratchet wheels 20 and 22 as shown in Fig. 6, the screw 56 having been entirely moved from the abutment 57.

This movement of the screws 12 and 19 has caused the thread guide 15 to move inwardly to the extent of two needles while the narrowing points have moved to the extent of but one needle, such relative movement being clearly illustrated in Fig. 13 as compared with Fig. 12.

As the main cam shaft 40 continues torotate another low spot 59 of the cam 50 is brought under the cam ro-ller 48 and the narrowing points 4 are lowered into contact with the needles 2 with which they are now aligned, whereupon the stitches carried by the said transfer points are deposited on the needles 2 as shown in Fig. 13, wherein the lateral transfer of the stitches to the extent of but one needle is clearly illustrated while thel thread guide 15 has been moved laterally to the extent of two needles.

The high point 52 of the cam 50 is then adapted to come under the cam rollerl 48 for the purpose of raising the transfer points to their inoperative position, and in order to set the transfer points so that they will be in alignment with the proper needles for making the next transfer it is necessary that the narrowing bars 6 and 7 be again moved to the extent of one needle, which is accomplished in the following manner: Ordinarily as the cam 50 is raising the transfer points to their inoperative positions the cam 39 is lowering the arm 29, 30, 31 to its inoperative position, the pawls 26 and 28 sliding over the teeth of the ratchet wheels 20 and 22 in order to obtain a new engagement with the next teeth of the ratchet wheels.

According to the principles of my invention as the arm 29, 30, 31 moves downwardly the pawl 28 slides but half way down the tooth 23a of the ratchet wheel 22 and the pawl 26 loses contact with the tooth 2lb of the ratchet wheel 20 and makes contact with the tooth 21a thereof as illustrated in Fig. 7. The narrowing points 4 and 5 by this time are raised clear of the needles, and in order to move them a second4 step of one needle to catch up with the previous movement of two needles effected by the thread guide 15 I provide a second cam 39a on the cam shaft 4() which engages a second cam roller 38a rotatably mounted on the lever 33. This cam 39a immediately reverses the movement of the ar'm 29, 30, 31, whereupon the pawl 26 having established contact with the tooth 21a of the ratchet wheel 20 rotates the said ratchet wheel to the extent of one tooth as illustrated in Fig. 8. This one tooth movement of the ratchet wheel 20 causes a corre sponding one-needle movement of the narrowing points 4 and 5 bringing the nar`rowing points into position to make the next transfer. During this second movement of the screw 12 the screw 19 has remained quiescent, the point of the pawl `28 sliding again over the surface 23a of the ratchet wheel 2Q without causing any rotation of the screw 19. The cam 39a upon continued rotation of the cam shaft 40 then permits the arm 29, 30, 31 to drop to its inactive position shown in Fig. 1, whereupon the screw 56 of the pawl Q6 will again engage the abutment 57, drawing the pawl 26 out of contact with the teeth of the ratchet wheel Q() while the pawl 28 moves back into Contact with the next successive tooth on the ratchet wheel 22, as illustrated in Fig. 4. The machine then proceeds to knit the course of stitches Y, as illustrated in Fig. 14, the thread guide 15 in its movement inwardly having laid thread around the outermost of the occupied needles 2 forming a stitch m1 as shown in Fig. 14, but the thread guide 15 in making its return traverse of the needles does not lay thread to the needle occupied by the stitch a, consequently when the next successive course or stitches Y1 is formed the stitch m1 is knit off theneedle which it had occupied, as illnstrated clearly in Fig. 15.

'Vhen the blank is subsequently completed and the opposite edges thereof joined together by the usual seam Z formed by the` usual type of seaming machine used in eHecting this finishing operation the free stitches mi are bound tightly within the seaml and in that way prevent any runners from developing as a consequence of this dropped or knit-off stitch. In the finished stocking, therefore, while the narrowing marks are not completely obliterated they are so reduced in size that they are not apparent to the casual observer', this being due to the fact that the transfer of the stitches in the narrowing operation amounted to but one needle as compared with the large conspicuous openings produced by the transfer of the stitches to two needles as is ordinarily done. By transferring these stitches but one needle, obviously the tension created by such transfer is materially less than that ordinarily accompanying the transfer of the stitches to the extent of two needles, therefore, neither the needles nor the narrowing points are flexed from their normal positions and a true alignment of the needles and narrowing points is, therefore, accomplished, resulting in perfect transfer which eliminates the drop stitches so often created by the narrowing process through the transfer of the stitches over two needles.

I claim 1. The combination in a full fashioned knitting machine of a set of needles, a set of narrowing points co-operatlve with said needles, a thread carrier co-operating with said needles, a narrowing screw for controlling said narrowing points, a narrowing screw for controlling said thread` guide, means including a cam shaft for turning the thread guide narrowing screw a predetermined extent in one continuous movement during one revolution of the cam shaft, and means controlled by said cam shaft for turning the transfer point narrowing screw to the same ultimate extent as the thread guide narrowing screw but in interniittent movements during tlie same single revolution of the vcam shaft.

2. The combination in a full fashioned knitting machine of a set of needles, a set of narrowing points co-operative with said needles, a thread carrier co-operating with said needles, a narrowing screw for controlling said narrowing points, a narrowing screw for controlling said thread guide, a ratchet wheel on said thread guide controlling screw having teeth spaced a given distance apart, a ratchet wheel on said narrowing point controlling screw having teeth spaced apart substantially half the distance of those of the thread guide ratchet wheel, independent pawls co-operating respectively with said ratchet wheels, a common actuator for said pawls adapted to move the same synchronously a distance substantially equal to the larger spacing of the teeth of the thread guide controlling ratchet, and ,means for holding the pawl of the narrowing point ratchet out of engagement therewith for substantially one-half the movement of the common actuator.

The combination in a. full fashioned knitting machine of a set of needle/s, a set of narrowing points co-operative with said needles, a thread carrier co-operating with said needles, a narrowing screw for controlling said narrowing points, a narrowing screw for controlling ysaid thread guide, a ratchet wheel on said thread guide controlling screw having teeth spaced a given distance apart, a ratchet wheel on said narrowing point controlling scrcw having teeth spaced apart substantially half the distance of those of the thread guide ratchet wheel, independent pawls izo-operating respectively with said ratchet wheels, a. common actuator for said pawls adapted to move the same synchronously a distance substantially equal to the larger spacing of the teeth of the thread guide controlling ratchet, incans for holding the pawl of the. narrowing point ratchet out of e11- gagement therewith for substantially onehalf the movement of the common actuator, and means for repeating the last half of the movement of the common actuator in quick succession after the first said movement thereof to actuate the narrowing point controlling screw twice to one actuation of the thread guide controlling screw.

ERNST OSCAR NEBEL. 

